Jul 30 2007

August 2007

Hi everyone,

I hope that you are all having a great summer so far and that you have been able to enjoy some time off. Things have been quite busy since I last checked in.

In May I did a concert with an Israeli singer named Yoeram Goan at the Salle Pierre Mercure in Montreal. Although, I can’t say that I had ever heard of him, he is regarded as a legend to Israelis as an actor and a beloved singer. We had a two hour rehearsal on the day of the concert and we played the show that night. It was a sight-reading gig and although my reading chops were not like they were when I was in University (come to think of it, they weren’t that good then, either) I made it through the gig without much difficulty and the concert was great. I was able to play with some musicians that I haven’t played with in a long while. Also my Arranging teacher from McGill was the band leader and it was great to play with him again. What wasn’t great was wearing a tuxedo on stage, though. It had been a long time since I had done that.

I also have had the chance to keep busy in the studio with various artists. In June I was invited to play on two songs from an up-coming CD from a young Quebec singer named Annie Caron. Her manager had heard the stuff that I did with Corneille and contacted me to play some of that style on Annie’s music. The sessions were great and Annie has written some nice songs. She plays guitar and piano and I found her stuff to be well arranged. I’ll let you know when her album will be released. More info on Annie can be found here: http://www.myspace.com/anniecaron. I rounded out June by playing on about 5 songs from another Quebec singer named Marie-Eve Côté. I actually never saw her at the session but people tell me that she was involved in the Star Académie TV show. Her music was rock and she also had some interesting songs, too. I played some acoustic and some electric on that session.

The promo for Corneille’s album has begun, too. A media crew from France came to Montreal to film Corneille for a few interviews. We played his first single “Back To Life” a few times for the crew. At the end of June we went to Japan to do some promotion for the album. We played some radio shows and showcases in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. We had such a good time and the Japanese people are simply amazing. We were treated extremely well and I really enjoyed the trip. Our two showcases were a success and I was surprised to see how many people came out to see us. We did the showcases just guitar and voice and the gigs went great. I am looking forward to going back. August will take us to Vancouver to promote the CD out there.

My twin girls are doing very well and they are growing fast. They still don’t sleep too much so I must be creative in finding ways to practice while spending time with them. What do you think ?

Well, that’s it for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer. I hope to see you soon.

Andy

P.S. In my iPod: Ray Brown Trio - Summertime, Ray Brown Trio - Seven Steps To Heaven, Angélique Kidjo - Djin Djin, The Police - Ghost In The Machine, The Police - Synchronicity, Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way Home, Ray Brown/Monty Alexander/Russell Malone - Ray Brown/Monty Alexander/Russell Malone, Donald Fagen - Kamkiriad, Steely Dan - Aja, Steely Dan - Everything Must Go, Brent Mason - Smoking Section, Richard Bona - Reverence